March 14, 2006

Blogger Posts Abortion Manual

A feminist blogger has posted explicit directions online for a surgical abortion, in reaction to the new South Dakota law all but banning the procedure.

Her action troubles activists on both sides of the issue: Is it a harbinger of a return to the era of secret, illegal abortions?

At her "Molly Saves the Day" Web log, the 21-year-old Florida resident uses the pseudonym Molly Blythe. Given the volatility of the abortion debate, she requested that her real name and city of residence not be used in this story.

In an interview, the blogger said South Dakota's ban on abortion — even in cases of rape and incest — prompted her post, "For the Women of South Dakota: An Abortion Manual." The blogger, who has no medical background, said she has been compiling instructions for several years.

She posted directions for a dilation and curettage — or D and C — abortion, and plans to post online the steps for a vacuum-aspiration abortion.

Awesome.

Vicki Saporta, who heads the National Abortion Federation, an industry
group for practitioners, said: "Women want to be treated by a medical
professional, not by a friend. I don't see Roe falling. And if it were
to fall, there'd be enough states where abortion was still legal that
women could get on a bus."

The blogger disagrees.

"Worst-case scenario: A woman needs an abortion but doesn't have a job, or one that lets her leave the state," she said.

She nails it. Let's make it impossible for the right-wingers to enforce their laws.

What do you mean "what kind of activist"? The sort of activist who doesn't want to end up sued or in jail, for starters.

Women have a right to know all their options. Somebody has to put information out there in order for the discussion to proceed. Just because Molly posts instructions on the web doesn't mean that she's ordering anyone to abort themselves, or vouching for the absolute completeness and comprehensiveness of the information she relates.

Information like Molly's is valuable even people who don't intend to abort themselves. Voters and policy makers ought to know what's involved in a DIY abortion, seeing as restricting legal abortion rights will spur self-abortion and back alley abortion.